An athletic protector with a removable, rigid, cup of fixed size is known from the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,375 issued Jan. 1, 1974 to D. W. Donars. In the patented structure, the rigid cup is detachably mountable on the jock strap support or harness, by way of Velcro hook and loop fasteners or strips having portions strategically located and mounted on the rigid cup and further portions strategically located and mounted on the jock strap. The patentee has indicated that other detachable means may be employed for example, snap fasteners, zipper components and any other types of conventional fasteners.
In an attempt to improve the comfort of an athletic support, J. V. Rotello in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,022 issued June 15, 1976 discloses using a single piece elastic waistband. The purpose is so that the waistband will seek its own proper position on the wearers body for maximum comfort and at the same time, provide adjustability to accommodate both long and short torsos, as well as broad and thin torsos. An elastic waistband, with Velcro fasteners in the harness of a penal support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,962 issued Nov. 18, 1986 to R. D. Kauffman.